Following the international release of the ad titled “Paint the Town Black” dedicated to Arthur’s Day, the Guinness brand goes on promoting the black colour in the USA by launching a new promotion across the country. The US market is packed with lager brands, including Miller Lite and Bud Light to name but a few, so introducing Guinness Black Lager, a new light beer brand in this category, a year ago was quite challenging. Still, the brand, which has become famous for its Irish Stout, managed to find the key to success on the market. Today, October 15, Guinness is rolling out a new promotion, in which the light black drink is positioned as a dark and refreshing, two qualities, which usually never meet.

Photo: A snapshot from the Guinness «Black Dress» advert

The campaign developed by BBDO is aimed at ruining the stereotypes related to the beer colour—it’s generally believed that the lighter beers are easier drinking, while darker variations are challenging to drink and suit bold drinkers better. “We’ve got a lager consumer who is starting to look around for beers that are more interesting,” commented Guinness Brand Director Doug Campbell to Advertising Age. “We are very deliberately trying to disrupt that unwritten rule [related to the beer colour].” The new promotion is to make the black lager one of the favourite choices during the drinking occasions. According to Kantar Media, the Guinness’s parent company Diageo spent $10.4 million to promote Black Lager in media in the 18 months ending in July, which made up about 70% of all Guinness spending during that time.

In the one ad, which appeared in September 2011 with the launch of the new product on the U.S. market, the voiceover was introducing Guinness Black Lager as “both refreshing and flavorful” in the partying atmosphere. The new campaign of three spots adds more energy and an aggressive twist to the brand’s promotion by taking on other beer brands. For instance, in the “Black Dress” spot starring “Boardwalk Empire” actor Jack Huston, it is said that “regular beers” have “a friendly, bubbly color,” while Guinness Black Lager, “has more character, more style, more taste.” The most important thing is to find your style, and black is always stylish. “There is just something about black,” says the man in the ad, looking at a gorgeous woman in a little black dress. According to Advertising Age, in the next adverts Guinness will compare its new product to other black liquids such as iced coffee or colas, which are other popular refreshers.